For Merlin's Sake
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: Merlin needs help choosing the best Wassailia tree possible for an upcoming Conjurors' Conference, so Calista and Sofia (along with a reluctant Cedric) volunteer to assist him.


For Merlin's Sake

Summary: Merlin needs help choosing the best Wassailia tree possible for an upcoming Conjurors' Conference, so Calista and Sofia (along with a reluctant Cedric) volunteer to assist him.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: I can just picture Merlin trying to choose his own Wassailia tree and getting all flustered. Lol. That's okay, Merlin. Your Wassailia experts are coming to the rescue!

*Story*

"I'm so excited we're getting to visit Mr. Merlin before the holiday," Sofia gushed as she, Cedric, and Calista approached the older wizard's castle. "He's always so much fun to spend time with."

"Which is rather surprising," Cedric admitted with a light laugh, "because he _can_ be a bit…well, _grumpy_ sometimes." He held up his hands as the girls both gave him 'the look.' "I know…as can I, right? It must just be a magic thing…"

"I think you've actually gotten much better, Uncle Ceddy," Calista assured him with a grin. "When I was little, I used to ask Mummy if someone had taken your last fly cake, because you always seemed to be sulking at our family gettogethers. Of course, when it was just you and me, you were much happier."

"You get that too?" Sofia asked with a giggle.

Cedric shrugged. "What can I say? You two bring out the best in me, I suppose." He stopped at the door and lifted his hand, knocking. He then glanced back at the girls. "Did you two bring his gifts?"

Calista grinned and waved her wand, producing a beautifully-wrapped Wassailia-themed bag that seemed to contain several items. "Right here."

"Ah, marvelous. Thank you, Calista." He accepted the bag as she handed it off to him just as the door opened.

"Oh, good!" Merlin exclaimed somewhat sarcastically, confusing the trio. "More distractions from my most challenging quest ever! Oh, but _please_ come in. I know it's cold outside." He grumbled as he stalked back into the warmth of his castle.

"Um," Sofia began somewhat hesitantly as she pulled her winter cloak tighter around her shoulders, "should we… _not_ go in, Mr. Cedric? He seems to be in a bad mood."

"Nonsense. We've come all this way. Might as well see what's wrong." With that, he stepped inside, his niece and apprentice following closely behind him. "Merlin…are you all right?"

"Oh, Wassailia is ruined, Cedric!" the old wizard lamented pitifully. "I've been tasked with finding the best Wassailia tree for the upcoming Conjurors' Conference, and I'm failing worse than a pheasant hiding from a chef!"

"Well, that…" Sofia blinked and laughed uncertainly. "That's…pretty bad, Mr. Merlin. But maybe we can help!"

"There's that 'we' word again," Cedric muttered to himself before plastering a willing smile on his face. "Yes, perhaps the _girls_ can help you."

"You'll help, too, right, Uncle Ceddy?" Calista smiled hopefully, her dark eyes shining with excitement.

Not only could he not deny _Sofia_ anything, but now Calista had joined that brigade as well. "Of course!" he enthused emphatically, hoping to satisfy the pleading looks the princess and little sorceress were giving him.

"Wonderful!" Merlin gushed, happier at the prospect of gaining some help. "I honestly don't even know where to start. I mean, naturally, I have my own Wassailia tree that I decorate and such, but when tasked with the very idea of finding _the best tree ever_ for this conference, I'm overwhelmed. What constitutes 'best' for a bunch of anticipatory magic-wielders anyway?"

"I'm going to guess it needs to be magical," Calista volunteered with a pensive look. "And big."

"Maybe it could light itself?" Sofia asked curiously. "And produce its own snow and flames for the candles!"

Cedric leaned toward his apprentice as Merlin began taking notes with his quill. "And just _where_ are you planning to find _that_ kind of tree, Sofia?"

She shrugged. "I thought maybe you would know."

"Oh, of course, because _I'm_ the Wassailia expert."

She grinned and patted his head playfully. "No, you're the _magic_ expert. You can do anything, Mr. Cedric." She gasped. "Ooh! Maybe we could make it on our own! I mean, how hard could making a magic Wassailia tree be anyway?"

Cedric stood more to his height and folded his arms. "Have _you_ ever tried it?"

"Well, no… But maybe it'll be fun!"

The sorcerer sighed inwardly. Sofia's idea of 'fun' usually tended to be far different from his.

"So, I don't really know any already-crafted trees with all those capabilities," Merlin announced, obviously not having paid attention to the previous exchange. He was rather distracted, after all. "Any other ideas?"

"Let's make one ourselves," Sofia suggested before Cedric could stop her. "With Mr. Cedric's and your magic, and with Calista and me to help, we'll design the best Wassailia tree ever."

Calista nodded in agreement. "Yes! What's the point of having magic if we don't use it for something amazing every now and again?"

"I can't argue with that," Merlin admitted with a cheeky grin before glancing toward the younger sorcerer. "Cedric, are you in?"

He laughed nervously. "I…" He cleared his throat. "Certainly, Merlin. We're here to help." _We_ … Well, he might as well say it. He and Sofia were a team, and Calista was often there to assist them recently. "Let's get started." He placed the bag of gifts in the corner and walked back toward the others.

It took several minutes before the group found an appropriate tree-designing spell (and they weren't about to ask _why_ that spell existed in the first place), and not long after, they discovered a few other useful spells: the Forever Snow Spell, designed to last until magically commanded to cease; the Forever Fire Spell, which had the same properties as the previous; and a Self-Decorating Spell, which did exactly as suggested.

"It's amazing how convenient these spells are," Cedric murmured as they worked on getting everything together.

"Shh," Sofia whispered with a wink. "The magic might hear you and decide to be more challenging."

"Maybe we could cast a spell on the flames to make them change colors," Calista suggested as they worked. "I mean, if _I_ were at the meeting and saw that, I would be very impressed!"

Merlin grinned and patted her head. "Excellent idea, little one!"

Soon afterward, magic spells spoken and performed effectively, Merlin and his visitors stared in awe of the creation they'd made. The Wassailia tree was the most delightful shade of dark forest green, its needles surprisingly gentle to the touch. Each branch sparkled with glittering light, and snow was sprouting from the top and working its way down. Several magical and colorful decorations swung from the tree, giving it a lovely appearance.

"The only thing missing is gifts!" Calista informed them with a gleeful grin.

"Oh, and they'll have those at the conference." Merlin waved his wand once. "In fact, as a thank you for all your help, here's a gift for each of you."

The three visitors seemed rather delighted to receive a box of Wassailia goodies each, complete with a specialized tag reading, "Best Wishes This Wassailia—Merlin."

"Thanks, Mr. Merlin," Sofia said appreciatively.

"I love these types of sweets!" Calista gushed. "Look, Uncle Ceddy! Poseidon's Pumpkins hard candies. Super-Fast Fly Cakes!"

"You've made her entire year, Merlin," Cedric chuckled.

"It's the least I could do." He blinked as if just realizing something. "Oh! It completely slipped my mind, but I'm quite certain you all came here for a reason other than aiding me with the Wassailia tree…"

Sofia nodded and pointed toward the bag of gifts Cedric had set down earlier. "Mr. Cedric put them over there— _your_ Wassailia gifts."

"…Oh!" He laughed. "Well, I feel like a complete buffoon now. My apologies, everyone. Once I get something stuck in my mind, I can be quite stubborn and focused on it rather than what's going on around me."

"Sounds like you," Cedric and Sofia said to each other simultaneously before blinking and laughing. Okay, so obviously they were more alike than they thought or even cared to admit…

Merlin hurried over to the bag of gifts and pulled it onto a table. "Would you like me to open them now or wait until Wassailia?"

"We won't be here for actual Wassailia Day," Sofia told him, "since we'll be visiting our friends in Avalor. So, you can open them now."

"Oh, splendid!" He withdrew three individually-wrapped gifts: one from Cedric, one from Sofia and Calista, and one from Goodwyn and Winifred. "Oh, my. The whole family seems to have given me something this year." He chuckled and unwrapped the girls' gift first. He grinned. "A thermal wizard hat! You two made this?"

Calista nodded in excitement. "Mummy showed me how to make one, and Sofia and I worked on it together. It will keep your head warm this winter."

He grinned at them. "Thank you, girls." He next opened the gift from Goodwyn and Winifred. "Ah!" He burst into laughter, confusing the other three. "I—I'm sorry!" He continued snickering as he pulled out what appeared to be a very tiny scarf and matching earmuffs. "This—ahahahahaha!"

"I think we missed something," Sofia told the other two.

"I'm sorry, you must understand. Cedric, when your parents and I were in our younger years, I constantly joked that my wand was as much an extension of me as anything else, and I treat it like an equal. I even said I'd go so far as to dress it warmly for winter if necessary." He then laughed more, wiping tears from beneath his spectacles before placing the scarf and earmuffs back into the box. "Ah, my, your parents have quite a sense of humor."

"So it seems," Cedric laughed, surprised by the apparent inside joke. He watched as Merlin started opening his gift last. "Now, it's nothing fancy, but…I figured you might need these at some point."

Merlin observed the contents and gave Cedric an appreciative look as he withdrew the items. "The Lost Magic Manuscripts, eh? For determining and detaining dark magic… Where on earth did you find these? I hadn't been able to locate them for a long time."

Cedric glanced toward the girls, who seemed rather curious, before just smiling mysteriously. "Let's just say I had to do a bit of digging for quite a few months."

Choosing to leave the matter alone for now, the wizard nodded and then smiled at them all, changing the subject to lighten the mood, since Sofia and Calista seemed to be growing a bit disconcerted. "Thank you all for the wonderful gifts. And thanks again for helping me with my tree dilemma. You've made this old wizard's Wassailia much better." He chuckled as the sorceress and princess both hugged him. "I wish you all a Happy Wassailia as well."

"Happy Wassailia!"

Not long after that, Cedric led the girls out of the castle and back toward their awaiting ride. As Calista walked on ahead, Sofia grabbed his hand and pulled him aside momentarily, which he'd been expecting.

"Mr. Cedric," she began cautiously, a frown creasing her brow, "those manuscripts you gave to Mr. Merlin…"

He knelt to her level and placed his free hand over hers. "I'll explain everything in due time, Sofia. Suffice it to say, just because it's the season of hope and love, that doesn't mean evil takes a break. Merlin knows this, and so do you, my dear."

Sofia lowered her head.

"Hey," he said gently, tilting her chin up. "Nothing is going to happen to you, Sofia…not with me around to protect you. You have my word."

She smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Cedric." She moved forward and hugged him, holding him extra tightly this time and feeling happy when he reciprocated.

"You guys!"

The friends broke apart a few moments later when they heard Calista's voice calling.

"Hurry up! The driver's going to leave us!" She waved and hopped into the flying coach.

"Come along then." Cedric held out his hand and smiled as Sofia took it. "Let's not mention anything to Calista, all right?"

"Yeah…" She smiled and walked onward with him just as it started to snow.

The end

(Closing A/N: The ending is some foreshadowing for a story that will take place next year: "Umbra Inferno." It's going to be very…interesting, to say the least. Lol. Hope you enjoyed! See you tomorrow with the next story: "Light a Candle.")


End file.
